• Thousands of Sudanese demonstrate in Khartoum calling for an end to military rule.
• Protests started after investigation revealed Russia was stealing gold from the African nation.
• Hundreds of protesters tried to enter the Republican Palace.

An investigation that revealed Russia was stealing gold from the African nation, thousands of demonstrators demonstrated in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, on Sunday calling for an end to military rule.

When hundreds of protesters tried to enter the Republican Palace, which houses the presidential offices of Sudan, they were confronted by police, who fired tear gas at them in response.

The military deposed a transitional civilian administration in 2021, dealing a fatal blow to the Sudanese pro-democracy movement that had overthrown President Omar al-Bashir two years earlier, as seen in video of protesters chanting anti-military slogans.

The important Mek Nimr bridge, which links Khartoum’s centre with Khartoum North, was shut down by authorities.

Sudanese pro-democracy organizations, notably the powerful “Revolutionary Committees,” had requested a “million man march” for the following day on Friday.

The demonstrations started after a CNN investigation found proof of a gold business that was syphoning off Sudanese riches and sending it to Russia while dodging US sanctions and operating in concert with Sudan’s military leadership.

The investigation painted a picture of a complex Russian plot to plunder Sudan’s riches in an effort to fortify Russia against increasingly severe Western sanctions and to support Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

This was based on numerous interviews with high-level Sudanese and US officials as well as reams of documents that CNN reviewed.

Evidence obtained by CNN also reveals that Russia conspired with Sudan’s troubled military leadership to allow for the bypassing of the Sudanese state and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in state income.

Public outcry resulted from the investigation, which was widely disseminated in Sudan. Posts started to spread on WhatsApp and other social media sites used by pro-democracy activists hours after the report was broadcast”The investigation conducted by CNN is hugely important to us.

It looked into the crucial issue of the conflict over resources, especially important in a poor country like Sudan,”  Leading Sudanese pro-democracy activist and former interim leader of the civil anti-corruption committee, Mohamed Al-Faki Suleiman, told CNN.

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